


Brilliant Idea

by badly_knitted



Category: FAKE (Manga)
Genre: Community: fan_flashworks, Established Relationship, Fluff, Furniture Shopping, Gardens & Gardening, Living Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:27:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27285661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badly_knitted/pseuds/badly_knitted
Summary: Ryo wants furniture for the roof garden, but what he’d really like wouldn’t be very practical.
Relationships: Dee Laytner/Randy "Ryo" MacLean
Kudos: 1
Collections: fan_flashworks





	Brilliant Idea

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Challenge 313: Iron at fan_flashworks.
> 
> Setting: After Like Like Love.

“What d’you think?” the salesman at the garden center asked. “Best on the market, these are! Good, solid iron construction, last you a lifetime.”

The benches were very attractive, with their graceful wrought iron curves and varnished hardwood seats. Ryo could easily picture one set against the stairwell housing on the roof of the building where he and Dee lived, but he wasn’t at all sure it would be practical. It was solid, certainly, but that just meant it would be heavy and there was already plenty of weight up on the roof, what with the raised beds, troughs, and tubs full of growing things, not to mention the small greenhouse they’d just finished putting together in the hopes of keeping a few things going over winter and getting an early start the following spring.

“They look a bit heavy for a roof garden,” he told the salesman, albeit reluctantly. “Have you got anything lighter?”

“We’ve got some wooden benches and chairs, but they take a lot more maintenance, they’ll need rubbing down and varnishing every spring, and they’re best stored indoors over winter.”

“I still think we’d be better off with deckchairs, or some lightweight patio furniture,” Dee said, trailing behind his lover as they went to look at the wooden benches. “With a patio table and chairs we could eat up on the roof anytime we wanted, and store everything in the stairwell when we’re not usin’ it.”

Ryo had to admit Dee had a point; patio furniture would be much more practical for them. He’d only gotten the yen for having a garden bench because he’d been looking through old family photos recently. There’d been a magnificent bench in the garden of the house he’d grown up in, surrounded by climbing roses and honeysuckle, and he’d felt the urge to recreate that little piece of sweet-scented paradise in his own garden. A silly idea really, a rooftop high above the street probably wouldn’t be the best place for a rose arbour. It could get pretty windy up there, and when it snowed, as it inevitably would, the roses would suffer badly.

The wooden benches were quite sturdy, and looked nice, but keeping them that way would be a lot of work, plus they were bulky and there wasn’t that much space available in the stairwell. Over winter or in bad weather they could store a bench on the fourth floor landing outside their apartment, but then they’d be forever carrying it up and down the stairs to the roof, which would be a pain. He shook his head; he needed to be sensible about this instead of letting nostalgia influence him.

“No, they’re lovely but my partner’s right; for the space we’ve got, patio furniture would be a better idea.”

“Of course. Come with me and I’ll show you what we’ve got in stock.” The salesman was obviously used to customers who didn’t know what they wanted and took forever to make up their minds.

Thirty minutes later, Dee and Ryo had picked out a mid-priced patio set, with four lightweight, white-coated cast-iron folding chairs and a round table with a big red umbrella, and were on their way to the checkout to pay, when Ryo abruptly veered off, back in the direction of the wrought iron benches.

“Have you changed your mind?” the salesman asked, hurrying to catch up.

“Not exactly.” Ryo moved among the benches, finally stopping in front of one. “What d’you think, Dee?”

“About what?”

“Mother’s birthday is coming up; do you think she’d like it? Somewhere she could sit outside on a sunny day, drinking tea and keeping an eye on the kids.”

A slow smile spread across Dee’s face. “I think that’s a great idea!” He’d been racking his brain for a suitable gift for weeks.

Ryo nodded. “That’s settled then; we’ll take this one as well, but we’ll need to have it delivered to the Blessed Hope Orphanage.”

The salesman was beaming now, obviously mentally calculating his commission. “I can arrange that for you. Since it’s a gift, would you like an engraved plaque for it?”

Dee darted a look at his lover. “Could we do that, d’you think?”

“I don’t see why not, it’ll make it more personal. I’ll leave that part to you, just as long as the word ‘penguin’ doesn’t appear anywhere on it.” That was Mother’s unappreciated nickname among the children because of her black and white nun’s habit.

“Spoil all my fun,” Dee grumbled, but he was grinning, sure that Mother would appreciate the thoughtful gift. She spent way too much time on her feet and she wasn’t getting any younger. Maybe come springtime he could help Ryo build his longed for rose arbour around it; he was pretty sure Mother would love that too.

The End


End file.
